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Out here in the NW, we must consider forest fire season, typically June-Sep. The smoke causes poor visibility, forest fighting TFRs, and sometimes closes airports. So Apr-May or Sep-Oct would be best for cross-state flights.

Sadly, it did make a couple of splashes, one of which was fatal (though not the fault of the aircraft).

I'm not going to join that argument, but will quibble with your terminology. Capitalism is a general term meaning only that the means of production and other property are largely owned and operated by private individuals or groups. It has many variations, some of which tend to concentrate wealth...

Sunquest at KPAE repainted my airplane in 2013 (plus new windshield, fairings, wingtips, etc.). Just last year, 10 years later, there were a few isolated spots showing signs of corrosion just beginning to develop, and other areas where the paint was peeing or faded. I'm happy with that, since my...

36 years ago is about when Lycoming started using hardened valve seats. Coincidence? Even if not, that would only affect the heads.

Another aspect of constant speed props is power output. Power moves the airplane, and power is torque * RPM. And power is also thrust * speed. Consider a typical engine with fixed pitch prop that has relatively flat torque vs. RPM and redlines at 2700 PRM. Static RPM full throttle sea level will...

Most fixed pitch props are pitched to optimize cruise rather than climb. That means relatively more (coarser) blade pitch. You sacrifice takeoff roll and climb performance for cruise speed & efficiency. But you can get a "climb prop" having less (finer, flatter) blade pitch optimized for takeoff...

Even for crosswind components, if you remember that the sin of 30* is 0.5 and sin of 45* is 0.7, you can do most of them in your head.

While the airplane may be mis-rigged and trim not set properly, others have tackled that so I'll mention a couple of technique points. A common mistake not yet mentioned during takeoff is to forcefully rotate the airplane. On the takeoff roll, apply back pressure to the yoke, hold that pressure...

You know ZDDP is a metallic additive, right? And what "ashless" means in the context of engine oil? So it doesn't seem like a difficult decision - follow the engine manufacturer guidance, provided to you in detail above, or the advice of an "engineer chemist" who wants to sell you an oil...

Oils for aviation engines like Conti & Lycoming must be ashless. This means they can't contain metals like Calcium or Zinc (among others). If you add Zinc to your aviation oil, it is no longer ashless and does not meet the engine manufacturer requirements. Automotive engine oils are not ashless...

I have a WA state aviation plate but it doesn't have a custom number.

Well said. And as we analyze the root causes of incidents, we realize how many are caused by improper planning, maintenance or operating procedures. This tells us how greatly we can improve safety with the airplanes we already have by learning best practices and following them. Even proven...

Avare is nice and free, but I find the UI hard to use. I'd rather pay for an app that has a better UI. SkyVector is free and has Canadian charts, but is a bloated piece of crash-ware on every device I have owned over the years. I love their web site, hate their Android app. Naviator and Droid...

My backup propulsion is gravity, aka converting potential energy to kinetic energy, aka gliding. A single engine airplane has less chance of engine failure than a twin, and when an engine fails, the airplane is easier to control. That said, as others have said here, properly maintaining and...

The rudder trim setting for hands-off straight & level cruise depends on airspeed and total weight. Since airspeed & weight determine AoA which determines the angle of the propellor plane, cruising slowly at max GW at low power requires more R rudder than cruising fast at high power when light...

It sounds like you love flying and options are wide open in what form that might take, if any. So my advice is to take it incrementally rather than commit to going all the way to ATP. The next ratings would be Instrument and Commercial. Along the way you can get endorsements for complex and...

How long after purchasing? For the first year, none. The pre-buy and annual were both comprehensive and done by an independent shop that had never seen the airplane before, found a bunch of stuff we took care of then and there, with no big surprises a year later. But several years later, a...

The Coleal letter did not merely post existing guidance, but actually reversed what part 43 literally says, and also reversed circular 43-12A. This changed a situation where anything not listed in part 43 could not legally be done, to a situation where many tasks and operations are considered...

If you see a new person at your airport, are you afraid to walk up and say hello? That's all a "polite challenge" has to be. A stranger messing with an airplane might be your new airport neighbor. But it does sound like you would do something. Not just ignore him?